Opinion: Candidates must support Social Security Funding if they hope to win in Iowa

By Thad Nearmyer

Iowa’s all-important caucus, the first major event in the 2024 presidential election, is less than a month away. All year long, the Republican primary field has been campaigning across the Hawkeye State to ask Iowans for their support ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucus. And here in Iowa, before we caucus for a candidate, we want to know whether they’re on the right side of the issues that matter, from the economy to ethanol, and recently, there’s one issue that’s top of mind for voters: Social Security.

This is largely because lately in Washington, D.C., some Republicans in Congress have made news for putting their support behind policy changes that would threaten Social Security. The proposals include bills in both the Senate and House of Representatives that would create a fiscal commission with the power to fast-track cuts to Social Security. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has also expressed support for such a commission, which would make it easier for opponents of Social Security to make harmful cuts to the program.

However, those aren’t ideas that Iowans support, and voters here want to know that Republicans running for president will protect Social Security and the essential benefits the program provides. Clearly, presidential contenders recognize how powerful the issue is, and top contenders for the GOP’s nomination have taken steps to clarify their positions on Social Security accordingly.

For example, in this program that aired here in Iowa recently, former President Donald Trump reiterated the same “100%” support for Social Security that he’s voiced at his rallies and on social media, and Vivek Ramaswamy argued that “we need to just be very clear…no cuts to Social Security … period.” As for the rest of the Republican field, candidates like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – who has sent mixed messages about how he would maintain Social

Security benefits – promised to protect the program. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has voiced support for Social Security cuts in the past, said that she would protect the benefits of older Americans who have already paid into the program. While these statements are encouraging, Iowans will certainly be watching to make sure Republican candidates are sticking to their promises.

That’s because Iowans believe our next president should protect Social Security: 96% of voters here support keeping Social Security as it is. Republicans in Congress should pay attention to GOP presidential candidates who are committed to protecting Social Security and helping the government keep its promise to folks here in Iowa and around the country that if they pay into Social Security, they’ll be able to get that money back in retirement. Promises made should be promises kept.

There’s a reason that Social Security is one of the defining issues ahead of Iowa’s 2024 presidential caucuses. Simply put, there’s a reason Social Security is known as the third rail of politics. Voters here in Iowa have made it clear that they don’t want to support a candidate who is willing to jeopardize the benefits that folks rely on to make ends meet. Republican presidential candidates have realized this. Lawmakers in Washington should follow suit.

Thad Nearmyer is a farmer and the Jasper County GOP Chair